Gradescope

Gradescope operates as an assessment platform within the educational technology sector, providing tools designed to streamline the grading process for instructors in higher education and K-12. The company was founded in 2014 by Arjun Singh, Sergey Karayev, Pieter Abbeel, and Ibrahim Awwal, originating from their direct experiences with the inefficiencies of traditional grading as teaching assistants and faculty at the University of California, Berkeley. The initial prototype, called Pandagrader, was developed by Singh, Abbeel, and Awwal to handle their own grading workloads and quickly found traction among peers.

The founders' backgrounds are deeply rooted in computer science and artificial intelligence. Arjun Singh, who became the CEO, was a Ph.D. student in computer science at Berkeley, where he focused on robotic perception. His co-founders include Sergey Karayev, also a Berkeley computer science Ph.D., and Pieter Abbeel, a renowned professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at Berkeley, specializing in robotics and machine learning. This collective expertise in AI was foundational to the platform's core functionality. The tool's popularity on campus and at other institutions like MIT and Stanford prompted the founders to establish a formal company rather than release the software as an open-source project.

The platform serves instructors, teaching assistants, and academic institutions by digitizing and accelerating the grading of paper-based assignments, digital submissions, and programming projects. Its business model operates on a freemium basis, offering a free version with essential features, while generating revenue through institutional licenses that provide advanced capabilities like AI-powered grading, programming autograders, and integrations with Learning Management Systems (LMS). A significant milestone occurred in October 2018 when Gradescope was acquired by Turnitin, a major player in academic integrity solutions. This acquisition allowed Gradescope to expand its reach, particularly in STEM fields, and integrate with Turnitin's broader suite of educational tools.

Gradescope's product enables instructors to grade various assignment types, from handwritten exams to code submissions. A key feature is its AI-assisted grading, which automatically groups similar answers together, allowing instructors to grade entire batches at once and apply feedback consistently using dynamic rubrics. The platform supports flexible, rubric-based grading that can be adjusted at any time, ensuring fairness. For coding assignments, it offers autograding capabilities and integrates with services like GitHub and Bitbucket. The system also provides detailed analytics on student and class performance, giving educators insights into learning gaps. Following the acquisition, the platform has continued to evolve, adding features like a mobile app for student submissions and multilingual interfaces.